Ron turned to the associate professor, slightly bowing:
"It does require considerable ambition to drive such a project, but I prefer to call it ’vision’."
"Vision, ambition, it’s all wordplay."
Chester shook his head slightly:
"What’s important is, where did you get the inspiration for this concept? It sounds very... familiar."
Ron keenly caught a certain subtle change in the other’s tone.
"Actually, part of the inspiration for this concept came from some ancient manuscripts I’ve been reading lately."
He answered frankly:
"Especially the theoretical framework regarding ’Consciousness Archiving’ in Lance’s Experiment Notes gave me great inspiration."
Ron noticed that when the name "Lance" was mentioned, the expressions of several reviewers subtly changed.
"Coupled with some foundational theories on mental network construction obtained from his collaboration with the King of Illusions..."
Before the sentence was finished, the atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly shifted.
Chester sat up abruptly, his eyes showing vigilance: "Wait, did you mention the ’King of Illusions’?"
"Yes." Ron nodded, already vaguely sensing something:
"Lance’s notes mention that he and the King of Illusions had jointly researched similar topics."
The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became heavy.
Several reviewers exchanged glances, their expressions transforming from initial amazement and curiosity to caution and vigilance.
"Assistant Ralph," Minne’s tone became exceptionally formal:
"You seem to be quite familiar with these historical materials. May I ask, where did you acquire this information?
As far as I know, most of Lance’s experiment records are kept strictly by the Court of Truth and are not publicly available."
Ron immediately realized that he had inadvertently touched upon a sensitive area.
"During the Lance Memorial Day celebration, I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of Lance’s Experiment Notes."
He answered cautiously: "That was one of the rewards for the Rainbow Ring competition."
"Oh, it seems there was such an event recently." Rafa’s expression relaxed slightly:
"That notebook is a specially screened public version, mainly recording some fundamental theories and safe experiment records."
"So, were the concepts of ’Consciousness Uploading’ and ’Spiritual Network’ also acquired from that notebook?"
Chester pressed on, his tone full of skepticism.
"Yes, but it’s just a very vague conceptual framework."
Ron remained calm: "My ideas are mainly based on my own research and the extension of existing technology."
The room fell silent again, as several reviewers exchanged glances, seemingly communicating silently.
Finally, Minne took a deep breath, a smile reappearing on her face, though notably more forced than before:
"Assistant Ralph, your concepts are indeed innovative and forward-thinking.
However, as the review board of the School Alliance, we must consider from the perspective of practical feasibility and resource allocation."
Her gaze became extremely focused: "Could you specify what resource support is needed for the first stage of realizing this concept?"
Ron immediately sensed that the direction of the conversation had quietly changed.
Originally likely to develop into a heated discussion, it swiftly turned into an objective evaluation without waves.
"The first stage mainly involves further refining the basic functions of the Mobile Simulation Battle Device."
He collected his thoughts, returning to a more pragmatic discussion:
"Required resources include high-quality energy guidance materials, spiritual power stabilization devices, and some experimental site usage rights."
In the subsequent hour, the discussion became extremely specific and technical, fully focused on the mobile simulation battle device proposed in his paper.
His grand idea just mentioned seemed to be tacitly avoided by everyone present.
As the meeting approached its end, Minne and the others exchanged opinions through communications, quickly making a final decision:
"Based on the assessment of your research, the School Alliance has decided to allocate 50 Magic Stones as research funding and provide a basic set of simulation object databases for your device testing."
Magic Stones, this number was far below Ron’s expectations.
At the Crystal Tower, a standard medium-sized research project typically receives at least 100 Magic Stones as start-up funds.
"This fund is strictly limited to material procurement and knowledge acquisition directly related to the Mobile Simulation Battle Device."
Minne added:
"Meanwhile, we hope you can submit a monthly progress report, detailing research results and funding usage."
Ron nodded slightly, his face showing no sign of disappointment:
"Thank the review board for your support. I will ensure this fund is utilized most effectively."
"One more point must be expressly stated." Sitting in the corner, Chester suddenly spoke again:
"Regarding the grand idea you mentioned earlier, after our deliberations, we all recommend you temporarily shelve it.
That scale of a project involves many complex issues, and currently, you’re not at the level to... "
Minne coughed lightly not far away, casting a slightly reproachful look at him, forcing Chester to amend his words:
"Oh, indeed it should be said, please conduct a more cautious risk assessment."
Ron glanced at Minne again, gleaning a warning from her eyes.
"I understand." He responded with an unchanged expression: "I appreciate everyone’s advice; indeed, every step of research should pursue a more solid path."